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http://dx.doi.org/10.11614/KSL.2021.54.4.363

Ecological Niche and Interspecific Competition of Two Frog Species (Pelophylax nigromaculatus and P. chosenicus) in South Korea using the Geographic Information System  

Ahn, Jeong-Yoon (Department of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, Korea University)
Choi, Seoyun (Department of Agriculture Forestry, and Bioresources, Seoul National University)
Kim, Hyeonggeun (National Institute of Biological Resources)
Suh, Jae-Hwa (National Institute of Biological Resources)
Do, Min Seock (National Institute of Biological Resources)
Publication Information
Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment / v.54, no.4, 2021 , pp. 363-373 More about this Journal
Abstract
An ecological niche is defined as the specific role of a species influenced by time, space, and other resources. By investigating overlaps between ecological niches of different species, we could estimate the degrees of interspecific competition. Such studies often use geographic information systems (GIS) to discover niche overlaps between species. In this study, we used GIS to estimate the spatial niches of two Korean frog species(Pelophylax nigromaculatus and P. chosenicus). This enabled us to predict their geographic distributions in order to identify their coexistence regions and distribution patterns. The results confirmed that altitude was an important variable for predicting their distribution, with a correlation with their climatic range. Spatial distributions of the two frog species were highly overlapped, as the distribution range for P. nigromaculatus included most of the range of P. chosenicus, showing a sympatric distribution pattern. Within the coexisting regions, however, the presence sites for the two species did not overlap, implying weak competition. To confirm the principal factors influencing their competitive relationship and reasons for their sympatric distribution pattern, we need more detailed in-depth studies on the diverse environmental variables within the regions where the two species coexist. By doing so, we would be able to identify various mechanisms for avoiding competition in sympatric frog species.
Keywords
Amphibian; Anura; Pelophylax; species distribution model; coexistence;
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